Chapter 193 The Limits of Support
My uncle-in-law waved his nimble arms and swept the snow in the yard very hard. He continued sweeping until dinner time before going into the house.
After entering the room and looking at the untouched snacks on the table, he felt inexplicably guilty. He kept winking at his aunt, and his eyes were almost spasming.
Hearing the old man sighing, he immediately put on the posture of a good son-in-law and started to comfort the old man in various ways.
Saying that the old man is fine is like being lazy, and that he will be fine in a few days, so there is no need to worry.
Seeing that no one paid attention to him, he looked at his aunt as if asking for help, and then smiled with satisfaction when he heard his aunt's perfunctory agreement.
When the uncle-in-law had calmed the old man and was about to start eating, he realized that the meat and vegetables on the table were almost gone, so he quickly picked up the chopsticks and prepared to start eating.
Just as I picked up the chopsticks, I heard Zhang Xingwang say loudly with a fake smile:
"My aunt has worked hard sweeping the snow, so she should eat more meat. My cousin and sister are too tired from going to school, so they should also eat more meat to replenish their energy. My grandfather is getting old, so he should eat more meat to survive the winter..."
As he spoke, he picked up some meat from the plate. When he finished speaking, only some cabbage was left on the plate.
My uncle-in-law looked at the remaining half plate of cabbage, his face full of grievance, and muttered:
"Your aunt didn't sweep the floor. I was the one who swept the floor, okay?"
He turned his head and looked at his aunt with resentment. His melancholy eyes startled his aunt.
He tried hard to hold back his laughter and prepared to give him a piece of his meat.
Who knew that just as he picked it up, he heard Zhang Xingwang continue:
"My brain isn't working well, so I need to eat some meat to replenish it. Thank you, Auntie, you love me the most..."
As he said this, he picked up the piece of meat from his aunt's chopsticks, put it into his mouth without hesitation, and started eating it with a sizzling sound.
The uncle-in-law, with a face full of grief and indignation, looked at the black-hearted little girl who was eating with grease in her mouth, and then looked at his silly son who was sharing the meat in his bowl with Zhang Xingwang.
His back teeth were almost broken. He picked up the chopsticks and took a big bite of the cabbage viciously, and started eating it with a slurping sound, as if he had a deep hatred for cabbage.
He suddenly picked up a piece of cabbage with chopsticks and deliberately waved it in front of the old man, giving subtle hints for a long time.
It didn't attract the attention of the sad old man, who then lowered his head and continued to eat in embarrassment.
Just after finishing his meal, the uncle-in-law saw that the old man and the little girl were there, and he suddenly became timid and mustered up the courage to say to Zhang Xingwang:
"Xingwang, we need to talk..."
Before he could finish his words, he watched his stupid son dragging Zhang Xingwang back to the room.
The old man seemed to have just come to his senses. Although what he heard didn't seem right, he thought of his old age symptoms of blurry eyesight and hearing loss, so he pulled himself together and said to his uncle:
"Come on, we should have a chat. After all, we haven't seen each other for a while..."
The uncle-in-law looked at the old man who spoke inexplicably and said hesitantly:
"Hey... Dad... Hey... How about you start first?"
…………
Zhang Xingwang was pulled back to the house by his cousin and chatted for a while. The little girl and cousin also came over at this time and played the sack game together in the room. The cousin also gave the little girl a piece of her treasured candy.
When the two little girls invited their cousin to play the sack game, their cousin looked disdainful.
The first thing he did was to say that a sack was not as fun as a brick, and he hastily introduced his three new friends, patting his chest to assure that these were definitely normal children this time.
Then he took Zhang Xingwang out and showed him the flying brick stunts and turtle punch that he had practiced hard, which left Zhang Xingwang stunned.
I have to say that my cousin's accuracy in throwing bricks is quite good, and his turtle punches are also very powerful. He is qualified to perform as a street performer.
The uncle-in-law had just started a conversation with the old man, but when they heard some noise outside, they went out to take a look. Their eyes twitched at the same time, and they laughed at the same time, then continued chatting as if nothing had happened.
The next morning, the old man took the little girl out early and rode Zhang Xingwang's bicycle to the second aunt's house. Zhang Xingwang planned to visit Old Man Zhang today, so he did not follow them.
When he woke up in the morning, he found that he was the only one in the room. As soon as he finished washing up, his aunt came to him for breakfast.
According to my aunt, my cousin and cousin went to school, and my uncle just finished his breakfast in the morning. I heard that the old man went out today.
I quickly and enthusiastically escorted the old man out of the village, took a stroll with him, and came back for lunch.
When the aunt and nephew were having breakfast, the younger aunt said solemnly:
"Xingwang, don't bring anything to my place anymore. My family has food supplies, and you've brought meat here a few times. This won't do.
Your sisters are still young, and they need to eat nutritious food as they grow up."
"Aunt, it's okay. I don't mind that. Besides, is there anything wrong with me sending some food to my aunt?
Don't worry about my business. My cousins are still young and need to eat nutritious food."
As Zhang Xingwang spoke, he was thinking in his heart, even though he has three aunts to "help" him, they only provide for him a little.
What his aunts were able to do at the time, he would certainly not be worse off than before, not only in terms of material things, but also in terms of family affection.
Last night, when I saw my cousin and the little girl playing together, I was quite happy. Seeing the two sisters having fun also made me feel emotional. I hope this kind of relationship can be maintained in their generation.
Moreover, the food he signed in every day is so abundant that he cannot even use it all. It would leak through his fingers. The most troublesome thing is the distance.
It’s different at my uncle’s house. I guess his hands are clenched into fists with no gaps. It’s better for everyone to deal with each other separately.
The aunt was moved and distressed when she heard this. She looked at her nephew and sobbed, saying:
"You are so much like your father, both of you are very strong-willed. When your father was alive, the three of us sisters and our family members all looked to him for help. We never expected that we would have to look to you, our nephew, now.
Listen to me, don't make yourself too tired. Your father is an example. You just recovered from your illness not long ago. What if you get sick from overwork? I have enough food and clothes to eat and wear, so you don't need to worry about it."
After wiping away tears, he said jokingly:
"If your uncle bullies me again this time, I will go to the city to find you..."
After saying this, both the aunt and nephew laughed. However, seeing his aunt doing nothing every day, Zhang Xingwang felt that he had to find something for her to do. It would be even better if she could be financially independent.
By the way, I asked my uncle how he was doing recently. My aunt just smiled and said he was fine. She also said that it was cold and there was nothing to do in the village, so she went out every day to play cards.
What surprised Zhang Xingwang was that his uncle-in-law did not play by the rules. According to his aunt-in-law, he was an undefeated general.
He would win a few cents every now and then and buy snacks for his two children. It was said that the lazy men in the village were almost drained dry by him.
After he won the money, his walking posture became more and more arrogant. My sister-in-law originally thought that he was injured by a brick. After asking him, she found out that it was because of the money he won. After telling him twice, he didn't change, so she just left him alone.
But there is one thing that is absolutely impeccable about my uncle-in-law, he is really good to the two children, he does not favor boys over girls, and he treats them all equally.
